If you really do like my nonsense, find me on Tumblr.

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That is all.

Things can change a lot in a year-- and they have for me.

I am no longer a store manager for the company I work for.  I wasn't fired, I stepped down willingly.  The stress of the job coupled with lack of training pretty much sent me over the edge.  It was either ask to be placed in another store or quit altogether.  Luckily, my new DM saw that I have potential, saw I was suffering, and moved me to a higher volume store, but in a position one step lower- a co-manager.  Thank heavens.  I'm now able to flourish, learn, and lead my team without losing my freaking mind.

That being said, my photography style has changed quite a bit too.  For my birthday earlier this year in February, my boyfriend bought me a new camera- my Canon Rebel.  It's definitely changed the way I do photography, and I can't be more grateful.  I'm calling my little production Photography on the Rise (and yes, you'll start seeing that watermark EVERYWHERE).  You will see less and less landscape and macros on my page, but more people.  I've taken to having my friends be my mediums-- which is fairly interesting because I don't have your standard, run-of-the-mill friends. I'm much more open and honest now with my art, and whereas I still want the public to see what I see, I still remain cautious at times because the subject matter is even more near and dear to my heart.

My work is maturing and I hope you'll join me on this ride, I hope to pick up some new friends along the way.  My submissions will still be scarce due to work, but I'll try my best.

Well, the past year has certainly brought forth changes.  Long story short, I'm now a store manager within my company working 40+ hours a week.  I rarely get to take pictures anymore, but this spring I have grown my first Four O Clock bush which has these beautiful little flowers that I can photograph in my free time.  Needless to say, I'm still here, but not nearly as active anymore.  If I don't respond to something immediately, it's not personal, I'm just out.

Thank you all for understanding.

Since I last posted, I got a promotion with the same company I've been with, I now travel like 45 miles (one way) to work.  We've moved, things have gotten crazy, calmed down, then gotten crazy again.  I'm going to try to take better care of my DA account this year!

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Seriously!  GO!  NOW!  BUY!


Sorry for the lack of glitz.  I let my DA account expire and I gotta wait til a good payday to get my membership again.

I'd like just one day without pain.

2 weeks ago Friday I had surgery.  Woo!  Everything is fine now.

... until this past Friday.

I was walking to my car and literally got within 3 inches of my vehicle and I hit a huge patch of ice.  My right knee slammed into the asphalt, my keys slid under my car, and my purse went flying.

AHHHHHHH!

It felt like I shattered my knee, but it's in tact.  I split it open pretty good though.  I'm very bruised and it hurts to touch.  It's wrapped most of the time.  The downside is winter is a HORRIBLE time for my ankles.  So, both ankles are shot and my knee is gone.

Not cool.

We've had a couple good snows but I can't get out to photograph them since I can hardly move.  Today was my day off an I just sat on the couch most of the day with my leg propped up.  Even worse- my boss is out of commission for a week since HER knee is really, really messed up so all of us are covering her shifts-- which is totally fine!!  But, bad for me right now.

I'm hoping things turn around soon.  My hospital bill came this week- $5200.  I'm in pain most days, I have horrible nightmares, and even worse, this is my first Christmas in Indiana... I can't go home to Ohio this year.  

I need a miracle...

People, as a whole, are awful.  For the most part.

This time of year, ignorance and rudeness run RAMPANT through shopping centers and stores.  How people even function is a huge shock to me.  Anymore, it's not just the people who flip their credit card at me when the credit machine is right in front of them.  It's not even the people who just put their money in a pile on the counter instead of handing it to me.  It's the audacity of the people who are so stupid they don't listen and then blame me.

First case in point- a woman I had on Monday.  She was possibly in her late 60s, early 70s.  Definitely old enough to know better.  She was in front of the gift cards at the counter.
Woman: Yes, I'd like to buy 2 gift certificates.
Me: (pointing to the gift cards to her right, then walking behind the counter).  Alright, you can pick them out right here.
W: Pick what out?
M: The gift cards.  They're right here.  Pick out which ever ones you'd like.
W: In what denomination?
M: In whichever amount you'd like.  Pick the style then I enter in the amount.
W: Oh, okay.

She picks out two cards- for $20 each.  I put the amount on the cards and she went to run her card through.  It was denied promptly.  Monday was Dec. 1.  Her card expired on 11/08.  Hmm... it's EXPIRED.  I try it again, just in case.  Denied.

Me: I'm sorry, the card is getting declined.  I see this card expired in November and today is December first.
Woman: What?!  I've been using it all day and everyone else has been taking it!!
M: It's not personal.  The machine simply will not take an expired credit card.
W: *Harumph*  Fine.  I have another form of payment in the car.
M: Alright.

Note she didn't say that she has cash, another card, checks, anything.  She comes back in and begins to write her check.

Me: Ma'am, I will need to see your drivers license since you're writing a check.
Woman: (angry) What!?  That's out in my car!  I'm not going back out there!
M: I'm sorry, but I have to enter it into the computer or else the check will not go through.  Both the bank and my register need that information.  It's not personal, but it's how it works.
W: (pissed) Well fine then.  Just scrap the whole order, I'm not going back out there.  Forget it.
M: (talking to her as she leaves)  I'm sorry Ma'am but that's how the machine works.  Have a better day.

Really.  REALLY.  I swear older people purposely don't carry identification on them to see how much they can get away with- as if I'm going to forgo it because they're seniors.  NOPE.  Rules are rules, people.  I had an 84 year old woman come through my line today who wrote a check AND had her driver's license on her.  She knows what's up!  I should also mention that she and her daughter were two of the nicest people I've had in a long time.  I hope they have long, happy lives.  And that they come back.  They were fun.

The other thing irking me lately is lack of telephone courtesy.  When I was 10, I remember my mom buying me a book to convey proper telephone conversation conduction.  To say hello, goodbye, etc.  Lately, people will call, and yell into the phone, ask a question, and not say goodbye- as if they don't know how to end a conversation.  Is it so hard?  Is it also so hard to LISTEN.

LISTEN.

Try it now.

What to do you hear?  I hear the sound of my fingers on the keyboard, Tommy coughing, and the Great Lakes Heating and Cooling commercial on TV.

Listening is not hard.

We have a coupon right now which is a Free Item up to $13 in Value with any purchase.  People will ask me to explain it.  I tell them this exactly: "This is for a free item in the store up to $13 in value as long as it is one item and not a gift set."  I will also add in: "There is no base purchase value.  It could be $1.  It could be $100."
This is the response I get 99 times out of 100: "so I have to buy something for $13 and get something for $13 for free?"

NO!  NO!  NO!  YOU FUCKING IDIOT!  NO!!!!!!

People like this are the reason why people like me need to take our medication.

So please, I beg of you, should you actually venture out to stores to do ANY holiday shopping, follow these simple rules:

*Always have your driver's license.

*If you have coupons and need clarification, do NOT wait until you get to the cash register.

*If you pay in cash, count out your money- even if you have change, and hand it to the cashier.  We really don't enjoy having to peel pennies off the counter.

*If you have a question- ask someone... and listen.

*Should you have to call a store with a question, say hello, ask your question, say thank you, and goodbye.

*If something you want is out of stock, ask the clerk if there is something they could suggest to replace it--- NOT REPLACE IT PER PRICE.  Just something else instead.  Say you're looking for a dancing Brobee toy and the store is out of it.  Ask someone in that department what they would suggest for another toy.  If you're nice to people, you may be surprised at the response you get.

Believe me, I know people are upset. I know times are tough.  But you know what, if you're an asshole out shopping, you're going to fuck up not only your own day, but everyone's day around you.  Do you really want to do that?  I don't think so.

Believe it or not, I remember the simpler time, growing up in Columbus, Ohio.  Christmas time was the best time to go shopping downtown.  Mom would take my sister Jackie and I down to Lazarus to see the elaborate window displays.  On the Saturday before Christmas, mom and I would go to see the Nutcracker at the greatest theatre ever-- the Ohio Theatre.  We would always go about 2 hours early and walk through City Center mall.  We'd smell Cinnabons, go to the Nature Store, the Disney Store, The Warner Bros. Store.  We'd pause and look at the Nutcracker tower in the center of the mall and listen to whomever was playing.  It could be a pianist, it could be a local choir or band.  Those are some of the most cherished memories of my life-- Christmas time.  But now... people are so careless.  So cruel.  They don't care about good will toward mankind.  They care about getting the lowest price on the newest piece of crap.  It's shameful.

Just try to keep goodness and peace in your heart while you're out.  You'll find it makes your life so much better.

Long story short, surgery was a success.  I'm not quite with it, I've been very sleepy today...

Friday I was actually okay.  The surgery lasted like, 15 minutes, maybe.  My parents came up Thursday night and left this morning.  They've been helping me get around and so some things.  Today has been a bad memory day.. since I haven't fully rested since the surgery, I still have some anesthetic in my system.. I've been having to make lists to remember what to do today and I can't drive yet, so Tom had to take me to Wal*Mart to get some stuff.

I think I'm rambling, so I'm going to go for now.  Maybe I'll make sense later.

So I go in today to have my issue looked at.  Dr. Vanlandingham donned "the glove" and poked around.  "I don't see any hemorrhoids and I don't feel anything... wait, how about this."

OUCH!

"Well there's your problem.  You don't have hemorrhoids."

Okay then...

"You have an anal fissure.  It's like a split lip... on your rectum."

Well that certainly explains a lot.

Surgery is tomorrow morning.  I go in at 7:30am.  Have blood work done.  Surgery is at 9:30am.  I'll be home by noon-thirty or one.  I'm going back to work on Tuesday.  Mom and dad are coming into town tonight- they insisted.

So, there we have it.

On the plus side, today is Tommy's birthday, so yay!

I'll try to spare everyone details.

Long story short, I went to Urgent Care Thursday evening due to a severe hemorrhoid flare up.  Luckily, the doctor on-call has been in my position and didn't poke around.  THANK YOU.  He gave me a prescription for pain killers and told me that he and his staff will be calling around to a specialist so I can get surgery.  Then, one of them will be calling me to set everything up.

So, that's that for now.  When everything takes place, I'll be out of commission for a while.